Coroners hail investigator Randy Bogan for his care

Published: Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 10:58 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 10:58 p.m.

Spartanburg County Coroner's Office investigator Randy Bogan said the most rewarding part of his job is being able to bring a sense of peace and comfort to families of lost loved ones during some of their most heightened moments of grief.

Bogan, who has been with the coroner's office here since 2007, was named deputy coroner of the year for South Carolina during a statewide conference in Litchfield Beach in June.

“Randy has a lot of leadership qualities. He leads by example and always looks out for investigations in the office but also the people that we serve,” Coroner Rusty Clevenger said. “I'm lucky to have him.”

The annual South Carolina Coroner's Association conference included coroners and deputy coroners from 41 of 46 counties.

Bogan came to the local coroner's office after retiring as a forensics investigator with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. He has been employed by Spartanburg County for 30 years, he said.

“I enjoy trying to help families to get past their grieving process,” Bogan said. “They're going to continue to grieve even after our process is done, but it gives you some kind of self-gratification whenever you're able to help families, especially when they're in their worst time of grief.”

Bogan said he was asked to become an investigator with the coroner's office because of his experience on crime scenes.

Before being a forensics investigator at the sheriff's office, he served in uniform patrol and narcotics.

Clevenger said Bogan also has been instrumental with IT and computer-related assistance in Spartanburg County and elsewhere, helping other coroners upgrade their record-keeping systems.

Bogan said he would not have been named deputy coroner of the year without the help of the Spartanburg team.

The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office consists of five full-time investigators and one part-time investigator, Clevenger said.

“We all work together. … All of the people that work with me and for me, they deserve it as much as I do,” he said.

Apart from an awards ceremony, the annual conference included mass fatality training for coroners and deputy coroners, Clevenger said.

The award came as a surprise to Bogan. He said he didn't know he was a recipient until a speaker began reciting his resume during the ceremony.

“I had no clue up until that moment. It was a great surprise,” Bogan said.

<p>Spartanburg County Coroner's Office investigator Randy Bogan said the most rewarding part of his job is being able to bring a sense of peace and comfort to families of lost loved ones during some of their most heightened moments of grief.</p><p>Bogan, who has been with the coroner's office here since 2007, was named deputy coroner of the year for South Carolina during a statewide conference in Litchfield Beach in June.</p><p>“Randy has a lot of leadership qualities. He leads by example and always looks out for investigations in the office but also the people that we serve,” Coroner Rusty Clevenger said. “I'm lucky to have him.”</p><p>The annual South Carolina Coroner's Association conference included coroners and deputy coroners from 41 of 46 counties.</p><p>Bogan came to the local coroner's office after retiring as a forensics investigator with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. He has been employed by Spartanburg County for 30 years, he said.</p><p>“I enjoy trying to help families to get past their grieving process,” Bogan said. “They're going to continue to grieve even after our process is done, but it gives you some kind of self-gratification whenever you're able to help families, especially when they're in their worst time of grief.”</p><p>Bogan said he was asked to become an investigator with the coroner's office because of his experience on crime scenes.</p><p>Before being a forensics investigator at the sheriff's office, he served in uniform patrol and narcotics.</p><p>Clevenger said Bogan also has been instrumental with IT and computer-related assistance in Spartanburg County and elsewhere, helping other coroners upgrade their record-keeping systems.</p><p>Bogan said he would not have been named deputy coroner of the year without the help of the Spartanburg team.</p><p>The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office consists of five full-time investigators and one part-time investigator, Clevenger said.</p><p>“We all work together. … All of the people that work with me and for me, they deserve it as much as I do,” he said.</p><p>Apart from an awards ceremony, the annual conference included mass fatality training for coroners and deputy coroners, Clevenger said.</p><p>The award came as a surprise to Bogan. He said he didn't know he was a recipient until a speaker began reciting his resume during the ceremony.</p><p>“I had no clue up until that moment. It was a great surprise,” Bogan said.</p>